Doctoral Expansion Incentive Fund

PDADC #34, 2012-13

TO:   PDAD&C

CC:   Deans and Divisional Finance Officers

FROM: Cheryl Misak, Vice-President and Provost

DATE: February 7, 2013

RE:   Doctoral Expansion Incentive Fund (DEIF)

Graduate expansion is critically important for the success of the University of Toronto in marking itself off as a research and graduate intensive university. We currently have a brief window to participate in provincially-funded graduate enrolment growth for domestic students.

In order to fully take advantage of this expansion opportunity, we will be increasing the funding provided through the Doctoral Expansion Incentive Fund to assist departments with domestic doctoral stream enrolment growth.

Funding will be increased from $3,000 per student to $5,000 per student and will be provided for doctoral (including PhD, EdD, DMA, SJD, and first-year doctoral stream masters) enrolment growth over fall 2012. Incentive funding will apply only for growth up to approved targets; it is not intended to override the divisional allocation of Phase 3 expansion spaces.

The revised terms of the Fund are as follows:

*     Funding will be provided at the rate of $5,000 per year for each BIU-eligible doctoral or first-year doctoral stream masters FTE above fall 2012 actual enrolment numbers, up to the division's assigned growth target;

*     The level of funding attained in 2016-17 will continue in base, provided enrolments continue to be at or above fall 2012;

*     Funds will be transferred directly to departments in February of each year, after the enrolment counts have been finalized;

*     Multi-department faculties will leave 100% of the incentive funding in the department;

*     The calculation of the number of students for whom funding will be provided under this program will be done at the level of individual graduate units, and only those units with increases in doctoral or first-year doctoral stream masters enrolment will be included.  This should enable divisional leaders to assure graduate units that they will receive funding based on their own achievement, whatever happens in other graduate units;

*     Divisions have flexibility in how these funds are deployed, as long as the monies are used for graduate student support - this can include funding packages, student space, conferences, travel, and so on;

*     The funds for the DEIF are derived from the University's operating budget. Our long-term goal continues to be to attract external funds, either from government scholarships or through fund-raising, to provide this crucial form of support for our students.

With respect to the vital matter of international graduate students, a memo will go out next week, expanding the Provost's PhD Enhancement Fund (PPEF) for securing funding for these students.